Detailed historical materials before the American Civil War

Establishment of British North American Colonies (1607- 1733)

The original inhabitants of North America were Indians. 16-18th century, the western European countries that were conducting primitive accumulation of capital invaded North America one after another. The French established new France (including the lower reaches of the St. Lawrence River and the Mississippi River); The Spanish established the new Spain (including Mexico and a large area in the southwestern United States). 1607, Britain established 1 colonial stronghold-Jamestown, and then established 13 colony on the Atlantic coast. Most of the people who arrived in the colonies were poor working people in western Europe, but there were also nobles, landlords and bourgeoisie, among which the British, Irish, Germans and Dutch were the most. Among the immigrants, there are people who escape from war and religious persecution, voluntary and involuntary "contract slaves", beggars and criminals; And black people trafficked from Africa.

The War of Independence (1774 ——1783)

The seven-year war between Britain and France for maritime hegemony and plundering colonies ended in British victory. Britain took over Canada in North America, controlled New France east of the Mississippi River, strengthened its control over the North American colonies in an all-round way, and declared the west of the Appalachian Mountains a royal manor, banning colonial people from getting their hands on it. It also imposed heavy taxes, severely suppressed smuggling and restricted economic activities, which seriously harmed the economic interests of people of all walks of life in the colonies. Since 16 19 Virginia established parliament, the colonies have successively established parliaments to compete with Britain. 1765, nine colonies held protests against stamp duty, which set off a wave of anger.

18 In the 1970s, Britain further implemented the high-pressure policy, and 1770 witnessed the Boston Massacre. The tea tax law was passed on 1773, which caused the Boston tea party. 1774, five intolerable laws were promulgated (such as closing Boston harbor, sending more British troops, abolishing Massachusetts autonomy, establishing British judicial power over colonies, etc.). ), from the political and military stepped up control and repression of the colonies. 1772- 1774, the colonies generally set up communication committees to lead the anti-British struggle. 1 On September 5, 774, representatives of all colonies except Georgia held a1continental meeting in Philadelphia, and adopted a resolution to sever all trade relations with Britain, followed by the Declaration on Colonial Rights and Hatred, and submitted a petition to the King of England. On April 1775, 18, in Lexington and Concord, near Boston, colonial patriots fired their guns of resistance, which started the war of independence. In May, the second continental congress was held. In July of the following year, the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence, declaring that 13 colonies were independent from Britain.

At the beginning of the war of independence, the strength of the two sides was very different, and the war lasted for 8 years. By June 178 1, the United States and France had captured Yorktown, the last British stronghold, and the War of Independence was basically over. 1783 Britain and the United States signed the Paris Peace Treaty. During the War of Independence, a number of outstanding politicians emerged, such as G Washington, commander-in-chief of the Continental Army, T Jefferson, drafter of the Declaration of Independence, B Franklin, diplomat, and T Paine, a cultural warrior.

Establish an independent national sovereign state (1781-1814)

During the war, the Continental Congress formulated the Confederacy Regulations, and1781-178713 states formed the Confederacy Congress and announced its establishment.

United States of America. 1787, a constitutional convention was held in Philadelphia. After argument, representatives of big states and small states agreed that each state should elect two senators. On the issue of slavery, the North made a major compromise to the South, acquiesced in the existence of slavery, and counted slaves in the South as 3/5 of the population in terms of taxation and the allocation of seats in the House of Representatives. The meeting finally drafted a draft constitution. This is the written constitution of 1 in the world. 1788 was approved by nine countries in June. According to the Constitution, the United States has established a federal state in which legislative, executive and judicial powers are separated and balanced. Later, 10 constitutional amendment (later called "Bill of Rights") was added. The bill came into effect in179165438+February and was approved by 1 1 states.

The federal government was established in 1789. In April, Washington became the first president of the United States (1792 re-elected). In the process of policy differences at home and abroad, Finance Minister A. Hamilton organized the Federalist Party, advocated centralization, was pro-British in diplomacy, and controlled the power of the federal government. Secretary of State T Jefferson advocated safeguarding the democratic rights of the domestic people, sympathizing with the French Revolution, and organizing democracy and the Party. 1793, European powers jointly intervened in the French Revolution, and Washington adopted a neutral policy. The following June165438+1October, the federal government and Britain signed the Jay Treaty, which undermined the sovereignty of the United States. Pro-British and pro-French have become the dividing line between the federal party and democracy and the party in foreign policy. In internal affairs, the federal government formulated tariff regulations, established banks and stabilized the economy.

180 1 year, democratic party T. Jefferson became president. The Jefferson government abolished the above four laws, cut expenses, reduced taxes, abolished the wine tax and encouraged the export of agricultural products. 1803, Louisiana with an area of over 2 million square kilometers was purchased from France. Britain has always been reluctant to lose its North American colonies. British ships continue to intercept American ships on the high seas and forcibly requisition American sailors. In order to maintain freedom of navigation, the United States launched the second war against Britain at1812-1814. In addition to naval battles, the advantage lies in the British army. 1865438+In August, 2004, British troops captured the capital, Washington, and burned the presidential palace and parliament. But then America won. 18 14 12, Britain and the United States signed a peace treaty in Ghent, Belgium. This war made the United States get rid of British political control and economic infiltration and become a completely independent national sovereign country.

Differences in Economic Development between North and South before the Civil War (1814-1861)

/kloc-in the first half of the 0/9th century, American territory gradually expanded from the Atlantic coast to the Pacific coast. Significant changes have taken place in the economy, and the north-south economy has developed in different directions. Develop maritime trade and strengthen the northern shipping industry. A great deal of primitive accumulation of capital. As early as 1790, the first cotton mill was established in Rhode Island. Since then, other factories have appeared one after another. Since the19th century, a large amount of funds have been invested in industry and commerce, and industrial production has developed. While vigorously introducing science and technology from western Europe, we encourage creativity and invention. In the 1950s, industrialization advanced rapidly. From 65438 to 0860, American industrial production ranked fourth in the world. Two-thirds of the finished products are produced in the northeast. A large number of immigrants from western Europe poured in and migrated to the west, providing free employment labor for economic development. However, in the south, the cotton plantation economy based on slave labor has been expanding from the Atlantic coastal States to Texas. In the newly developed areas in the west, whether to implement free labor system or slavery has become the theme of national political struggle. 1820, the north made concessions to the south and reached the Missouri compromise. The dispute between the two sides was temporarily suspended.

The Westwood Movement.

Missouri compromise (Missouri compromise)

Diplomacy and Politics before the Civil War (1814-1861)

1823, American President J. Monroe issued the Monroe Declaration. Oppose European powers to interfere in western hemisphere affairs. 1846- 1848, the United States launched a war against Mexico and incorporated Texas, New Mexico and California into the territory of the United States. 18 14 At the end of the American-British War, the Federalist Party called the Hartford Conference in an attempt to split the Federation, but it failed and collapsed. The decline of the Federalist Party marks the beginning of the transformation from commercial capital to industrial capital. From 18 16- 1824, the United States entered a period of democratic one-party rule representing the interests of the northern bourgeoisie and the southern slave owners, commonly known as the "harmonious period." In the future, democracy and party split, and political forces regrouped. 1828, the democratic party was founded and a Jackson was elected as the presidential candidate. Jackson was elected and re-elected as president until March 1837. The Whig Party was founded in 1834. The Jackson administration used the high tariff law as an excuse to move Indians to the west of the Mississippi River, which stopped the separatist crisis in South Carolina. The government abolished the law that the poor were imprisoned for debts, popularized the universal suffrage of white men, and carried out some democratic reforms, commonly known as "Jackson democracy." 1828- 1856, the democratic party and the whig party became two major political parties. The Whig Party won two presidential elections, 1840 and 1848, and the Democratic Party won all other presidential elections.

With the intensification of the struggle between the two different social and economic systems in the north and the south and the rising slave resistance, the mass anti-slavery movement has been widely carried out. 1840, the "liberal party" advocating the abolition of slavery was established. 1848, abolitionists and opponents of slavery in the Democratic Party and Whig Party organized the Free Soil Party, aiming at establishing a free state in the western region. 1850, after a dispute, the two sides reached a compromise, and Congress passed a strict law on hunting fugitive slaves. 1854, Congress passed the kansas-nebraska act, abolishing the geographical boundary between slave-holding states and free states, and thus abolishing the Missouri compromise, which was strongly opposed by the northern industrial bourgeoisie. 1854 * * * The Peace Party was founded with the aim of opposing slavery. 1856. the democratic party J. Buchanan was elected president. at this time, the democratic party actually became a political party representing the interests of slave owners. 1857, the Supreme Court made Scott's judgment, the legal meaning of which is to push the scale of slavery to the whole country. 1859 The anti-slavery armed uprising led by J. Brown was suppressed. In the 1860 presidential election, * * * and the party candidate A. Lincoln won. The southern slave owners' group, which had been plotting rebellion for a long time, decided to leave the alliance, and in February of 186 1, another southern alliance was established, announcing the maintenance of slavery.